January 2022 Summaries

FusionAuth offers role-based access control (RBAC) as part of its authentication system, allowing users to be tagged with one or more roles that are interpreted by applications to determine allowed actions. However, this model may not be granular enough for complex authorization decisions, which can be offloaded to an authorization server like Cerbos, centralizing decision-making and reducing complexity in application code. Cerbos adds a layer of permissions on top of roles provided by FusionAuth, allowing for consistent and intelligent authorization decisions across the entire application stack. The use of Cerbos enables the encapsulation of complex business logic in one place, leaving application logic to focus on delivering features rather than handling access control.

CodeMash is a tech stack agnostic technical conference held annually in Sandusky, Ohio, attracting numerous attendees to explore a wide range of topics such as Alexa skills, mob programming, accessibility, and testing. The FusionAuth team is excited to attend the event to connect with developers and engage in conversations that provide insights into current industry trends. The conference features various sessions, including topics like enterprise observability and ChatOps, as well as longer "Pre-Compiler" workshops for hands-on learning experiences. Social events like a Capture the Flag coding challenge and a welcome reception add a fun element to the educational focus. FusionAuth is sponsoring the event with a booth and offering raffles for prizes, while team member Dan Moore will present talks on API protection and the benefits of outsourcing authentication. The organizers are mindful of Covid-19 concerns and have updated policies to ensure safety.